Middleton upsets Madison Memorial

I have watched Madison Memorial more then any other high school in the past ten years or so and it is very evident that this is not the Madison Memorial of old and this game may look like an upset right now, come the end of the year this may not be an upset. Stating that is really not a knock on this Memorial team that really has a ton of talent but, the fact that the teams in the past have been so good. My comments could be all for not though if these team ends up winning another conference title like last years team which I also thought was not quite up to par with teams of past.

Like the teams of old this Memorial team looks to run and push the tempo but, I'm not sure that is this teams best bet to win. Memorial has good overall team size but, doesn't have the quickness to apply the pressure for an entire game. I would like see them really pound the ball inside to their senior big man 6'7 Darral Willis and 6'4 Tyler Lindquist. They did a nice job of going to Willis at times but, he was limited by foul trouble and had some poor shot selections. Willis needs to do a better job of passing out of the post and just playing a little smarter on defense and offense. Lindquist didn't really look to go down in the low post much and I really think that would benefit him very well.

 I don't like to criticize players directly so I'll just leave it at Memorial took a lot and I mean a lot of very bad shots and probably air balled about half a dozen shots. If they don't have the shooters they don't have the shooters but, not taking those bad shots may have allowed Memorial to win this game. I believe in the game Memorial only hit two three point shots and that has been a weakness for Memorial for a quite a few years and in the past they have been able to over come that with athleticism and rebounding and this team may be able to do the same thing in time. Have to give props to 5'11 senior Reggie Roemer who has really become a leader of this time. At this time last year he couldn't even get off the bench and as the year went on he moved into the rotation and then starting by being a scrappy hard nosed player and is now the floor general of this team and seems to be playing with a lot of confidence.

Middleton was pretty typical of Middleton teams of the past five years. Play a lot of guys, shoot the three, and really play hard nosed hustling basketball. 6'5 senior Derek Rongstad was probably the best player on the court but, he hardly had to do it alone. Seven different players made baskets and it is very hard to tell who the starters are watching the game because everyone is so even and there is no drop off on the bench. Middleton did struggle with Memorial's pressure defense at times but, Rongstad would always come back and take control bringing the ball up the court and settle Middleton down. When Willis for Memorial got in foul trouble Middleton was able to take advantage grabbing offensive rebounds and taking the ball strong to the hoop. I wish I had more to say about Middleton because they won the game but, Memorial has all the hype and the talent. It's also a credit to Middleton because they don't have the standout outside of Rongstad that stands out and takes all the credit.

Top Players
Darral Willis (was Darralyn last year?) 6'7 senior Memorial- Has a pretty nice game with his back to the basket. Is still a little raw and doesn't have the softest touch. With his length showed he could get his shot of at anytime and he is going to affect the game with his rebounding and defense.

Henry Houden 6'4 junior Memorial- Didn't know a thing about this kid and don't recall him since he played JV last year I'm assuming but, he really stuck out to me. Didn't have a great game but, is really athletic and moves without the ball. Also plays some pretty good defense.

Derek Rongstad 6'5 senior Middleton- Just a very good player that will push for conference player of the year in the Big Eight. Shoots the three, rebounds, runs the point, and can get his shot any time he wants.

Demond Hill 6'2 senior Middleton- Watching warmups thought Hill would be a high energy guy but, was really a calming influence and was a great spot up shooter and was able to guard anyone on the court.

Box Score 
Memorial 50- Willis 15 Lindquist 10 Roemer 7 Shareef Smith 7 Houden 6 Bryce Danielson 5 Daurice Fountain 0 Brett Tauber 0
Middleton 54- Rongstad 16 Hill 10 Max Oelerich 8 Luke Schafer 8 Chris Little 5 Andrew Garner 4 CJ Fermanich 2 Derek Rogeberg 1 Brett Joers 0 Nick Revord 0


This game could be a peak into the future with Memorial maybe falling back to the back and Middleton possibly showing they may be one of the top contenders. On the other side Memorial will turn things around and win another conference title and Middleton will fall back to reality and be a .500 team in conference. It will probably be somewhere in between with Memorial challenging for a conference title and Middleton will probably be right with them.